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5 Things I would want Bangor to have by 2020

The Cross Insurance Center and Bangor’s Waterfront Concerts Series provide spaces for top artists to perform. What about encouraging the development of a space for emerging musicians from across the nation to perform? Other cities have small venues that create a personal, up-close atmosphere but with the same quality as a big venue. Collaborations with Kahbang Festival, the University of Maine Student Entertainment,NESCom and local radio stations could help by finding up-and-coming artists that would draw the biggest and most successful crowds.

2. Create a walking and biking friendly city

Bangor’s roads are not the easiest and safest to commute on, by foot or by two wheels. By developing a more walkable and bikeable city, Bangor’s livability would improve greatly. By improving city streets, more citizens might consider using alternative modes of transportation and that would foster a greener and healthier city. Maine Dot, Bangor Parks and Recreation and local biking businesses and organizations could work together to lead an effort to improve street safety for better biking and walking opportunities.

3. Increasing bus service between Orono and Bangor

Bridging the gap between Orono and Bangor could help both towns boost their economies and provide a better sense of regional community. There is currently no seven day a week bus between Orono and Bangor. By having a bus system that effectively runs throughout the weekends can help boost the livelihood of the downtown Bangor area during evenings and weekends. The Bangor’s Bus Division, the University of Maine and surrounding communities could work together to find ways to increase service to serve citizens better.

4.Create an App for the Bangor City Forest

The Bangor City Forest provides hundreds of acres, filled with trails for walkers, runners, mountain bikers and winter sports enthusiasts. The city could lead efforts to create a mobile App to help reduce confusion and make the trails accessible to more citizens. The city could look for external grant funding to build an App that could provide citizens with up-to-date information about trails in the City Forest.

5. Establish a city-wide composting system

What makes a livable city includes efforts to improve sustainability. Creating a city-wide composting system will help reduce the waste in Bangor and help save money. Through composting, organic waste could be returned to the city of Bangor for their parks and city-wide landscaping. Over time, savings would happen and reduce Bangor’s carbon footprint. The University of Maine Compost Center, local businesses and Bangor’s Public Works could work together to provide a system that will be most beneficial to the city.